Faculty Profile

Anna Francesconi, Ph.D.

Professional Interests

Molecular mechanisms of metabotropic glutamate receptor function.

Abnormal maturation of brain circuitry during development is a critical determinant of pathological manifestations in many neuropsychiatric conditions including intellectual disability, Fragile X syndrome, and schizophrenia. A growing body of evidence from studies in human subjects and animal models has established a link between dysfunctions in glutamatergic neurotransmission and developmental brain abnormalities associated with these conditions. Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors, mGlu1 and mGlu5, are G protein-coupled receptors critical to the formation and maintenance of brain circuitry and activity-dependent synaptic plasticity, a cellular substrate of learning and memory. Dysregulation of group I mGlu receptor activity is implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders including Fragile X syndrome and schizophrenia.

Research in the laboratory focuses on elucidating the molecular and cellular underpinnings of metabotropic glutamatergic neurotransmission in the brain, with the ultimate goal of developing a molecular rationale for targeted interventions in neuropsychiatric disorders. We use a combination of molecular biology, biochemistry and imaging techniques to uncover the molecular mechanisms underlying temporo-spatial regulation of mGluR signaling and to examine mGluR functions in neuronal homeostasis and synaptic transmission. Ongoing studies pursue interrelated lines of investigation by examining the role of adaptor proteins in orchestrating and fine-tuning mGluR activity under physiological conditions and in animal models of Fragile X syndrome; and by investigating the mechanisms by which mGluR signaling contributes to synaptogenesis and neuronal maturation.

Contact

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